Key facts
- Andras Baka has been elected as Hungary's president.
- Baka previously served as the head of Hungary's Supreme Court.
- The election followed the premature ousting of Tamas Sulyok.
- Baka was nominated by Prime Minister Peter Magyar's Tisza party.
- The new president is set to formally assume his role on August 19.
Hungary's parliament has elected Andras Baka, a former head of the Supreme Court and nominee of the governing Tisza party, as the country's new president. Baka secured 140 votes in the 199-seat parliament, with Viktor Orban's Fidesz party boycotting the vote. The election follows the recent ousting of Tamas Sulyok, whose presidency was ended prematurely by a constitutional amendment passed by Tisza. Prime Minister Peter Magyar, whose Tisza party defeated Orban in April elections, stated that Baka's career exemplifies commitment to the rule of law and judicial independence. Baka, who previously served as a judge at the European Court of Human Rights, is set to formally assume his largely ceremonial role on August 19. His nomination and election are part of Magyar's stated agenda to reverse democratic backsliding and restore the rule of law in Hungary.